To Her Loved Ones
by Taliya
Summary: A visit to a grave, a confession, and a promise. Written for Poirot Café's Writing Prompt #2: Plot.


_Detective Conan_ and _Magic Kaito_ characters, settings, and ideas do not belong to me but to Aoyama Gōshō.

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Warnings: Canonical character death, angst, mentions of violence, minor _Magic Kaito_ spoilers regarding Syndicate

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To Her Loved Ones

By Taliya

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Prompt: Learning from Mistakes

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The breeze was brisk and the surroundings quiet. Kuroba Chikage, bundled up in a long down jacket and a thick scarf, strode slowly down the pathway of concrete. On both sides of the sidewalk were monuments of carved stone and offerings of fresh flowers. She herself carried a bouquet of baby's breath, pear, plum, forget-me-not, hyacinth. It was an arrangement of two colors: blue and white, along with three roses: one blue, one white, and one red.

At length she stopped by one particular spread of stones, glancing at the names carved into them before landing on one in particular: Kuroba Touichi. Chikage reached out, letting her fingertips brush the cold granite with care. "Hello, my love," she murmured with a sad smile. She set the bouquet into a ceramic vase she had brought with her, propping it up beside her husband's grave marker. She then pulled out a small box of chocolate she had made the night before and placed it next to the flowers with a quiet, "Happy Valentine's Day."

Chikage brushed dust and dead leaves off of the gravestone, cleaning it off before stepping back to observe her handiwork. "I miss you," she began, letting the wind carry her words away. "There hasn't been a day where I haven't thought about you." She sighed and tilted her head back to blink away the sudden blurriness to her vision. "I've been doing well—or as well as I can be without you. Kaito's taken after you in more ways than one, my darling. He now dresses the way you did when we first met, and while I'm proud he's taken up your legacy, I cannot help but be terrified he'll meet the same fate…"

"I'm doing what I can to help him. I—I will make sure that he survives this because I won't make the same mistake with him that I made with you—" Here, Chikage choked up a little but forced herself to continue. "I failed to offer my aid after you took up my cause, and there hasn't been a moment where I didn't regret doing more. What I did, my love, was unforgivable to you. I failed you. And I regret it than you will ever know."

She took a moment to dab away the liquid that slid down her cheeks. "I—I'm allowing him to focus on the cell that is based here in Japan, while I work on the cells that are based elsewhere. I managed to bring down Spider several weeks ago, though it was not easy." As she spoke, she gently hugged her side where, beneath the layers of clothing, was a series of bandaged wounds where six of the assassin's needles had sliced through her abdomen—a handful of a battery of injuries she had sustained in her fight. Her voice was a mixture of hate and relief as she said, "He's dead and cannot hurt Kaito anymore."

Her hand reached out to press against Touichi's headstone. "I'm in Japan for only a few days more to help nudge Kaito in the right direction with the help of a friend of ours regarding the Midnight Crow. After this, I'm off to Germany to find the headquarters Spider had been based out of. It's exhausting and dangerous work, but Kaito needs all the help he can get…"

A sob choked her, and she squeezed out with a bitter laugh that hitched when her abdomen throbbed, "… and I can't help but wish back then you had let me help out you too, you stubborn mule."

She took a moment to breath through the pain before straightening and whispering, "I'll come back to talk to you again, my love. Please watch over Kaito for me when I cannot, and—" Chikage gently pressed her lips to the carved name of her husband on the granite. "I love you, my Touichi, now and forever. Goodbye."

A last caress of the cold stone, and Kuroba Chikage walked away from the grave and out of the cemetery with purpose underscoring her steps, determined not to the one mistake that had cost her a husband happen again to her son.

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Author's Note: So um, Happy Valentine's Day? Not the most happy and lovey-dovey thing I could have written, but I was in the mood for something a little darker and less sappy. Flower colors and meanings below, and colors were specifically chosen for a reason. I hope you enjoyed it.

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White:  
Baby's Breath – Everlasting love  
Pear – Affection  
Plum – Loyalty

Blue:  
Forget-Me-Not – True love, memories  
Hyacinth– Constancy, sincerity

Roses:  
Blue – Attaining the impossible, love at first sight  
Red – I love you  
White – Reverence

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Completed: 14.02.2020


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